The present invention relates to an axial securing ring for inserting into a radial groove, the axial securing ring being configured as an open flat ring with an annular section, at the ends of which in each case radially projecting lugs are provided, the radial width of the annular section being substantially constant over the circumference.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for producing an axial securing ring.
In addition, the present invention relates to a bearing arrangement, in particular for mounting a shaft on a bearing carrier of a motor vehicle drive train, having a bearing carrier which has a bearing seat with a bearing-seat radial groove, having an anti-friction bearing which has a bearing radial groove on a bearing ring and which is inserted into the bearing seat, having an axial securing ring which engages into the bearing-seat radial groove and into the bearing radial groove, in order to secure the anti-friction bearing axially in relation to the bearing carrier, the axial securing ring being configured as an open ring with radially projecting lugs.
Finally, the present invention relates to a method for producing a bearing arrangement.
A multiplicity of solutions are known for axially securing anti-friction bearings which serve, for example, to mount a shaft on a housing of a section of a motor vehicle drive train, such as a gearbox.
In a solution of this type, the shaft can have an internal thread at its axial end, a hollow screw being screwed into the internal thread, in order to secure the anti-friction bearing on the shaft axially. This embodiment is comparatively robust and requires only a comparatively small amount of axial installation space. However, this solution is comparatively expensive.
A further concept for axial securing consists in screwing a screw through a threaded bore in a housing cover, which screw pulls a holding plate against the housing cover on its inner section, which holding plate engages on a circumferential groove of a bearing ring of the anti-friction bearing.
A further possibility consists in using axial securing rings which are as a rule received as standard circlips in a coaxial circlip groove.
In addition, there are a multiplicity of different designs in axial securing rings. The axial securing rings can firstly be punched from a metal sheet. Here, a very wide variety of shapes of the axial securing ring can be realized, including those with lugs, without lugs, with eyes for attaching tools, etc. The radial width can also either be constant or different over the circumference.
A further possibility consists in realizing the shape of the axial securing ring by way of a winding operation, as has been disclosed, for example, by document U.S. Pat. No. 1,989,750. Axial securing rings of this type can be produced very inexpensively, but the radial width over the circumference is necessarily substantially constant here. Although this leads to very favourable part prices, the uniform shape over the circumference results in an unfavourable bending-open behaviour, a high space requirement additionally being required during bending open.
A wound axial securing ring of this type can be produced, for example, from a tempered strip material or from a tempered wire material.
It is also conceivable to provide lugs at the ends of an open wound axial securing ring of this type, by a punching operation being carried out at the ends. Mounting holes can also be integrated here. As a result of the further work step, however, this leads to high part prices on account of high tooling costs. This also results in a high gap size tolerance, since a thermal treatment is required as last manufacturing step.
In order to produce lugs, it is also possible to bend the free ends away radially and to trim them in an axial securing ring which is manufactured from a tempered wound strip. This also leads to comparatively favourable part prices with low tooling costs. In addition, high precision can be achieved, since a thermal treatment no longer takes place after the winding. However, the detailed designing is not simple on account of the disruptive contour in the bending radius. Axial recesses are possibly to be provided in the region of the bearing-seat radial groove.
Circlips in accordance with the DIN standard (also called what are known as “Seeger rings”) have radially projecting lugs and a radial width which is smaller in the region of the lugs than in the region which lies diametrically opposite the lugs. As a result, the bending-open behaviour can be improved considerably. However, the necessary radial installation space is relatively large on account of the large groove depths. This can lead to installation space problems in gearboxes with short axle spacings.